


What Matters Most

by Itsnotme72



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:47:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22110544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itsnotme72/pseuds/Itsnotme72
Summary: I thought I would take another crack at the same universe my other story was set in. This story will take place at various holidays throughout the year. As always, please forgive any out of character writing. Thanks for reading.
Relationships: Elena Gilbert/Damon Salvatore
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - New Year’s Eve

Elena glanced at her watch. She was late of course. What kind of sadistic professor scheduled a mandatory viewing of an operation on New Years Eve? Classes didn’t start for the semester for three more days. But this particular heart surgery was groundbreaking and wouldn’t be performed in town again for months. Truthfully, Elena had been fascinated by the whole process. But she really didn’t want to be late. Damon had asked her specifically not to be.

He had made strides at living a normal human life. The bar kept him occupied. There were always problems to solve, people to watch, bills to pay. But Elena was aware the transition had been rough. The Christmas season had been hard for him too. They had stayed home and avoided Mystic Falls because the memories would be too hard on both of them. Elena was glad for a new year and a fresh start. Their first year together as humans. She had wanted to come home and snuggle on the couch and watch the ball drop, but Damon had other ideas.

He wanted to make a success out of the bar. Elena privately thought he was determined to avoid the disastrous view of the future Stefan had given him, determined to prove he could enjoy owning his own bar. So he was going to have a big bash on New Year’s Eve. He even made a new cocktail for the party. Elena was looking forward to trying it because Damon had been very secretive. All he had asked was that she be there to support him, and she was late.

By the time she had showered, changed into a gorgeous little black dress, and arrived at the bar, she was forty five minutes past when Damon had asked her to arrive. She had expected him to be looking for her or maybe pacing, but then she realized how stupid that thought was. Damon was on the dance floor showing off his moves. She smiled to herself thinking that she would have been the one pacing had the situation been reversed. And Stefan would never have been dancing in the same circumstances, but that was part of what made Damon... well, Damon. 

He spotted her almost immediately, proving that whatever else he might be doing, he was always aware of Elena. He disentangled himself from the bodies writhing on the dance floor and came over to Elena. He kissed her deeply. “You look good enough to eat. I love the new dress. It’s almost hot enough to make me forget you are 45 minutes late.” He said with a smirk.

“How can you be sweet and sarcastic at the same time?” She asked in mock exasperation.

“It’s a gift.” He replied lifting his eyebrow and smirking at the same time. “And we both know you love it.”

“I...” she started to protest.

“Can’t argue with my extremely hot boyfriend on New Year’s Eve. Come on. Let’s dance.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her on the floor before she could finish her thought.

Something in his tone of voice made Elena glance at him sharply, but she said nothing and joined him on the dance floor. After three fast numbers and one slow one, Elena pulled away. “I need a drink and a time out to catch my breath!” She grabbed Damon’s hand and led him to the booth in the back he kept reserved for himself whenever he was there. Over her shoulder, she saw Damon signal a waiter who arrived at the booth at the same time as they did.

“I’ll take a bourbon. What about you Elena?”

“I’ll have the new mysterious cocktail,” she told the waiter.

“It’s strong,”Damon warned her as he grabbed her hand and played with her fingers a bit before kissing her wrist and dropping it back in her lap.

“I can handle it. Besides, it looks as if you have a head start. How many of those have you had?” She asked as she watched him down half his drink in one swallow the moment the waiter placed it in front of him.

“Two? Five? Who can remember? It’s New Years Eve! Everybody gets a little wasted on a night like tonight.” He told her draining the rest of his bourbon and tapping his glass for another as soon as he caught the waiter’s eye. “Drink up. You’re behind.” He told her.

Elena started to comment, but tried her cocktail instead. “It’s good!” She told him as she took a cautious second drink. “But spicy and is that vervain I taste?”

He smiled. “Very good. My little nod to our past and a way to keep any unwanted party crashers out.”

She drank again. “What’s it called?”

“Petrova Fire,” he said with a smirk.

Elena glanced at him with her glass halfway to her lips. “Is that named after Katherine or me?”

“You of course. If it was named after Katherine I would have to call it Raging Psychotic B...”

“Damon!” Elena interrupted in protest though secretly she was relieved.

He smiled at her as he drained his glass again. She grabbed his wrist before he could signal for another.  
“Slow down, Damon. Your tolerance isn’t the same as before.”

“Not everyone wants to pace themselves at a party. Don’t be a boring old grandma.” He told her as fresh drinks arrived for both of them.

“Damon what has gotten in to you?” She asked, moving his drink to her side of the table. “Please slow down.”

“When did you become Major Buzzkill? Just because you think watching some heart surgery is more important than hanging out with your boyfriend doesn’t mean I do. I am in charge of my life and if you want a say in what I do, perhaps you should show up on time!” He grabbed the drink from beneath her hand and drained it in one long gulp.

“Fine. Have ‘fun’ without me. Get falling down drunk! See if I care!” She jumped up from the table and walked back to the dance floor.

Elena found a friend from college and started dancing with him. He was talking about something but Elena wasn’t paying any attention. She was too busy watching Damon who, although dancing with another woman, was making no secret of the fact that he was staring daggers at the guy dancing with Elena. Or maybe he was staring daggers at Elena. She wasn’t sure which.

“Hey Elena, I am going to go find a girl who doesn’t have a boyfriend who looks like he wants to kill me.” He pulled away.

“Sorry Tony. Thanks for the dance and happy new year!”

Elena found her friend Lydia and they set down in a booth to talk about the surgery they had seen that afternoon. She ordered another Petrova Fire. She figured Lydia was safer than Tony. She tried very hard not to see who Damon was dancing with now. She wasn’t sure what he would do in his current mood. He looked like he used to before Stefan died when he would explode. Elena figured everyone in the bar was lucky he wasn’t still a vampire.

Eventually Lydia stopped taking and looked at her watch. “It’s only 10 minutes to midnight so I am sure you want to find your gorgeous boyfriend and I want to find a guy to kiss. See you in class!”

“Bye Lyd. Happy New Year!” Elena called out. She didn’t search for Damon but instead went to the bathroom hoping to escape him. She had finally figured out what was wrong. Damon missed his vampire life. He was sorry to be human. He was regretting his choices and she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t cry.

Eventually, she decided she couldn’t hide out in the bathroom forever. Damon was waiting right outside, leaning against the wall. “Hiding out from someone?”

“Let’s just dance. It’s almost midnight.” She pulled him to the dance floor.

“Elena, I ...” Damon started to say.

“Please Damon, I don’t want to hear how you hate your life and especially not how you fell out of love with me. Just dance.”

“What?!?” Damon yelled but his voice was lost in the midst of the music and the crowd who were yelling “10, 9, 8, ...”

When the crowd got to one, Elena pulled Damon down for a kiss that seemed to last forever. As soon as they broke apart, Damon dragged Elena off the floor and over to the bar. “I’ve got to go upstairs for a little while Ray, but I’ll be back before last call.” He told the bartender and continued to pull Elena upstairs to the apartment they shared. After the door was shut, he sat down heavily on the couch. “Apparently I suffered an aneurysm on the dance floor because it sounded like you accused me of falling out of love with you.”

“I just meant you had fallen out of love with the idea of a human life with me. I think you miss being a vampire. It’s why you are picking fights with me and trying to get plastered.” Elena sat down in the chair opposite the couch and became very interested in the bracelet she was wearing instead of looking at Damon.

“Elena,” he began. She still refused to look at him, so he got up, sat on the arm of her chair and grasped her chin, forcing her to look in his eyes. “Elena, I still love you. I will always love you and any life I am lucky enough to have with you.” He kissed her gently and then picked her up, sat down in the chair and pulled her back into his lap. She buried her head in his chest, still not looking at him and not able to hold back the tears. “Don’t you believe me baby? I will always love you.”

She finally looked up. “I do believe you, but something is clearly compelling you to get drunk tonight. You are and have been on edge all night. I’m sorry I was late but I don’t think that was what set you off. You were spoiling for a fight from the moment I got there.”

Now it was Damon’s turn to avoid her eyes. He sighed. “I don’t think I am drunk enough to have this conversation.”

“Damon, we need to talk to each other. What’s wrong?”

“I just... did you know that this is the first year in 200 years that I don’t have a brother? For 200 years I’ve been a big brother. A crappy one but a brother all the same. I guess I just...”

“Miss him? It’s ok to admit that Damon. I know you do.” She thought about adding that she missed him too, but this was about Damon. If she admitted that, he would comfort her, and right now, he needed her to comfort him.

“You’ve been so busy making sure we make new traditions and enjoy the Christmas season. I tried to do that with New Year’s Eve. I thought maybe if I planned this party and threw myself into that, I wouldn’t remember that this is the first year he is truly dead. But it didn’t work. And I felt like I couldn’t tell you because you’ve been so busy juggling all your responsibilities. I didn’t want to add to your burden. And then tonight, when you were late, it just all came crashing down. He’s really gone.”

“I am so sorry I didn’t understand. I’ve been so busy making sure that we start our new life together. I haven’t given you a chance to mourn the old one. Forgive me?” She touched his face with her hand and looked into his eyes to be sure what his answer truly was.

“Sure if you can forgive me for being a drunken fool. I’m not sorry I’m human, Elena. I’m not sorry I’m running a bar either. I just miss my baby bro. He would have coped better.”

Elena laughed out loud. “No he wouldn’t have. He would have pushed Caroline far far away and currently be knee deep in a bar fight. I know because that is what he did when you died.”

“I guess I could ask Caroline to compel away all good memories of him...” Damon teased.

“Hey!” She punched his arm. “No fair. So none of us are exactly good at the grief thing, which is ironic considering how much practice we have had grieving. So tell me a New Years Eve memory from when you and Stefan were alive.”

He closed his eyes and thought. When he began to speak, his voice was soft and filled with nostalgia. He kept his eyes closed as he talked.

“I remember one New Years Eve Father was throwing a big party. I had to dance with all the ugly daughter of the founding families so I couldn’t skip. I was about 16 so Stefan would have been about 8 or 9. He was upset he couldn’t make an appearance. So I brought some cake up to the nursery for him to eat when I slipped away from the party.” Damon smiled remembering. “Stefan was excited by the cake because Father was very strict about allowing us treats. After he finished, I showed him a dance with his nanny and then she danced with him. He was so thrilled that he didn’t want to go to bed. We made him a little fort at the top of the stairs where he could see the dancers but they couldn’t see him. And then his governess and I...” He opened his eyes and looked at Elena. “We...uh...” 

Elena smiled because it looked as if Damon were blushing. He wasn’t usually shy about flaunting his conquests in her face. “I get it. You went off for sex.” She said more harshly than she meant to.

He cleared his throat. “Anyway, after that she picked Stefan up and took him to bed and I rejoined the party. The next morning Stefan said he watched the dancers for hours but his nanny said he was out before she got back and we were only gone about 45 minutes. Stefan told me it was the best night of his life and begged me to show him different dances for weeks after.” Damon sighed heavily. “If I had it to do over, I would have stayed with him the whole time. I should have spent more time with him. Yet another example of how I failed him.”

“That’s not true!” Elena protested looking into his eyes. “You gave him a great night.”

“But I only spent a grand total of 15 minutes with him. I should have take more time.”

“That’s hindsight talking. What 16 year old wants to hang out with his 9 year old brother?” She smiled. “Did you ever think the reason Stefan hated dancing was because it reminded him of a time when y’all got along?”

His eyes opened wide at that. “I never thought of that. His I hate dancing face didn’t begin until after we were at odds. He liked it well enough when we were alive.”

She got off his lap and held out her hand. “Teach me the steps Damon.”

“There’s no music,” he protested though he did get up and take her hand.

“That’s never stopped us before. We’ll make our own.” They hummed along together as Damon directed her through the steps of the dance. They were laughing by the time they finished. They collapsed next to each other on the couch.

“That was fun!” He told her. “And telling you that story made me feel less sad. Less alone.” He kissed her, cradling her face in his hands. 

“Then that can be our New Years tradition. Let’s make sure we take some time to tell each other old memories, either remind each other of ones we’ve made together or share ones that we had before.”

He took her hand and pulled her up from the couch as he got up himself. “I like that idea but I also want to start the tradition of making love to ring in the new year too.” He said as he led her into the bedroom. “Your resolution can be not to say stupid things like accusing me of falling out of love with you!” He told her in a mocking manner.

“Yours can be not to be so grumpy!” She countered. 

“Ok maybe that isn’t a good one. How about you resolve not to be late when your boyfriend specifically asks you not to be!”

“Hey that’s mean! I wasn’t that late!” She protested.

“You were still late and if you are late again I will make you live off your cooking or hospital cafeteria food!”

“You wouldn’t Damon! That’s pure evil! I’d starve.” She objected again.

He playfully tapped her nose. “Then perhaps you ought to work harder at not being late at all.” He kissed her again, not giving her much of a chance to speak as they became more involved in the kiss. Elena didn’t say anything else, although she did think to herself that Damon was right. This was a great way to start the new year.


	2. Chapter 2- Valentine’s Day

Damon polishes glasses and wipes down the bar one afternoon as he takes in the noise around him. The bar is mostly quiet at 4 pm. The after work crowd will be in soon and happy hour will start. He isn’t really seeing what he is staring at. He is thinking of Valentine’s Day. It’s the first since he and Elena became human so he knows she has expectations but he is not exactly sure how to fulfill them. The truth is that Damon has never cared for organized romance. He can be romantic. But his brand of romance has always been something spontaneous and in the moment. Planning out romance just seems... clinical. 

The bar is hosting a Ladies’ Night that evening. They are having karaoke that night. And he ordered some cute little heart shaped petit fours from the bakery across the street to serve along with the pretzels and nuts they put out for free, but he doesn’t think that is exactly what Elena is looking for, especially since the last holiday they spent at the bar, New Year’s Eve, was almost a disaster.

Damon runs through the list of options as he mechanically pours a drink for the patron in front of him. Flowers? Jewelry? Lingerie? They all seem so cliche. He wonders what Stefan would do in the same situation. The truth is that he is so desperate he is even considering calling Caroline.

He tries to think back in their past about times when he was romantic. The rain kiss was pretty romantic, but mostly they were too busy running from one disaster to the next to be really romantic. And unless he is actually in the moment, even saying romantic things seems beyond him. Damon thinks maybe now that he got the girl he is trying less. And that’s a problem. He certainly doesn’t want to take Elena for granted. What he really wanted at New Year’s was some uninterrupted time together. Maybe that is what she wants too.

“Hi honey I’m home!” He calls out to her as he flops down on the couch. It’s Valentine’s Day. And all he could come up with is a weekend away. He told her to be ready to go when he got home, but of course she isn’t. She’s always just a little late, usually because she can’t tear herself away from schoolwork. She finds it fascinating, and although he isn’t squeamish, he doesn’t care about the inner workings of the human body. He turns the TV on, and waits for her. She’ll be ready soon. He smiles as he realizes he can be patient waiting for Elena. He has waited years for her, first when he waited for her to pick him over Stefan and then later when he waited for her to wake up from her mystical coma. A few minutes is nothing in the scheme of things. 

He figures she is packing, so he is surprised when he hears the loud thump coming from the kitchen. Why is Elena in the kitchen instead of the bedroom? He peeks in the doorway. She has her back to him and she is putting the finishing touches on what he thinks is supposed to be a cake. It’s not really round or square but some vague shape in between. She is frosting it with frosting from a can so at least that part will be edible. She has ear buds in and is swaying along to some song only she can hear. He sneaks up behind her and drops a kiss on the nape of her neck that is exposed by her ponytail.

“Ahhh!” She screams and throws up her hands in the air which sends the knife she is using to frost the cake up into the air and then all over Damon’s shirt. She picks it up and tosses it into the sink. “You scared me Damon!” She scolds as she smacks him on the chest.

He hears the sounds of Shake it Off by Taylor Swift coming from her headphones. “That’s ok. Your taste in music scares me.” He bends down and kisses her deeply.

When she pulls away, she is dazed for a second which gratifies Damon probably more than it should. “Did you get home early?” She asks as she glances at the clock on the wall. “Oh no! How did it get so late? I’m not finished yet. And you’ve seen which ruined the surprise.”

He looks over her shoulder at the blob on the counter. “That is a very unique looking cake, baby.” He tells her. “Can I have a piece before we leave for our trip?”  


She gestures to the plastic cake dome beside the cake. “I had planned to take it with us to the mountains but sure. Try some now. It will save us the trouble of packing it if it is bad.”

He hardly waits for permission before he is cutting himself a big slice. She waits expectantly as he takes his first bite. He tries to smile as he chews...something crunchy? Cake isn’t supposed to be crunchy. “Mmm,” he tells her as he manfully swallows it down.

“Is it good?” She asks eagerly. She steals his fork and takes a bite herself. He grabs the fork back and puts another bite in his mouth. “Ugh!” She rushes to the sink and spits it out. “Ugh! That’s awful Damon. Don’t eat that!” She grabs for the plate but he holds it out of reach above her head.

“That was a present from my beautiful girlfriend and I cherish every bite of it.”

“I’m sorry Damon. It’s terrible. Please don’t eat it. I don’t want you to come down with food poisoning when we are about to take a trip to the mountains.

He manages to swallow the second bite and then sets his plate down. “I could eat the whole piece if you wanted me to.”

She smiles and plants a kiss on his cheek. “Is it any wonder I love you?” She asks looping her arms around his neck and kissing him again.

“Well I am pretty love able.” He tells her with a smirk. “How about we bring what is left of the frosting into the bedroom, and I can show you just how love able I can be?”

“What? Why? Oh never mind! Let’s just go in there without the frosting. But thanks for trying to eat the cake.”

“Thanks for trying to make one. It’s a great Valentines Day present.”

She looks back at him over her shoulder as she walks toward the bedroom. “Oh that isn’t your REAL present. Your real present is all the sexy lingerie I bought for the trip. In fact, I’m wearing some right now.”

He scoops her up into his arms and carries her into the room and puts her on the bed. “Please let me see the sexy lingerie. You can make that cake ever Valentines Day if only you will wear something like that!”

She kisses him. “No more cakes! I love you too much to subject you to that again.”

After he checks out his real present from Elena, they drive to the cabin he has rented for them in the mountains a few hours outside Seattle. Elena is out of the car before he even gets it in park. “Damon! This looks exactly like...how did you ever find...?”

He comes around behind her and hugs her from behind and kisses the top of her head. “I know. It looks just like your family cabin back in Virginia. The view outside is just a little different. I was looking at pictures and as soon as I saw this one, I knew it was the one.”

“You amaze me sometimes.” She leans against him and squeezes his arm before grabbing a bag to carry inside. “I’ll get started unpacking and you can start the fire.”

She takes the bag inside and through to the bedroom. Damon follows behind with the heavier bag and leaves to start the fire. He gives her a few minutes to see if she has found his second surprise. He peeks around the door frame and sees her sitting on the bed reading the note he had marked “Don’t open, Elena!” He smirks and says, “Couldn’t resist could you?”

She jumps guiltily and smiles up at him. “Be reasonable. Addressed like that you were begging me to read it. If I was amazed outside when I saw the cabin, I’m speechless now. Thanks Damon. This is the best gift I have ever received.” She carefully places the letter on the bed and walks over to his arms. He notices she has tears in her eyes. From his words. He feels a little misty eyed himself knowing he was able to move her. 

The letter is short but heartfelt. It reads:

Dear Elena,

Modern times make communicating easy, but sometimes I miss the formality of the old days. Occasionally, I miss sitting down to write a letter instead of firing a text immediately. I can deliberate and carefully choose my words when I write a letter. But the thing is, even when I sit down to think about it, I can’t say what you mean to me better than to say I love you. That’s it. It’s both that simple and that complicated. I love you and I will love you as long as there is breath in my body. We have overcome so much already so I know we can weather what lies ahead. We can even get past the fact that this letter, pitiful and inadequate though it is, is the best present I could come up with. Happy Valentines Day. And maybe I will have a better present for you next year.

Love,  
Damon

“Did you find all of them?” He asks.

“There are more?” She pulls away from him incredulously.

She runs over to the luggage and looks in her makeup bag. There she finds a note that says simply: Elena, you are by far the best thing that has ever happened to me. Inside her shoe, she finds another that says: No matter what happens, I will always choose you. And tucked in one of his shirts, she finds the last one that says: You are my life.

He sits on the bed next to her. Her tears are flowing now. “You’ve said all of those things to me before.”

“And now you have written proof I mean it. I figure all those notes ought to count for next years present as well.”

“No way! You’ve spoiled me. I’ll be looking for my love notes next year too.” 

“As long as you show me some more of that lingerie, you’ve got a deal.”


	3. St. Patrick’s Day

“We don’t have to spend the evening at the bar. I mean... this is probably the day of the year more people get drunk. It would just be better to stay in and be together.” Damon told Elena the week before St. Patrick’s Day. “Maybe you could forget to wear green or anything at all and I could...”

She put her finger over his lips, which he promptly kissed, though he did stop talking. “I know why you’re doing this Damon. You think New Years Eve was such a disaster at the bar that you are afraid for me to spend the evening there with you. But you own the bar and this is one of the biggest nights when you own a bar. I want to be there.” She kissed him.

“Ok, but don’t be late this time or I might be several green beers ahead of you.”

“As if you’d ever drink green beer. Green bourbon, yes. Any beer, no.”

“You think you know me so well.” He told her grabbing her and throwing her over his shoulder as he carried her into the bedroom, “I just might surprise you!”

On St. Patrick’s day, Elena was only five minutes late, “I don’t think five minutes really counts,” she told him. “I think I was on time!”

“What if I had been five minutes late to rescue you all those times in the past? If I showed up five minutes late to pull you out of your car wreck or five minutes late when you were on Wickery Bridge without your daylight ring.”

“Point taken. You are much better at being on time than me. You were always there at just the right moment.” She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. “But we both know you always forgive me because I am way cuter!”

He laughed. “Not so fast. You have to pay the penalty.” He dragged her to the bar. “Tequila shots.”

She smiled. “I drank you under the table when you had the tolerance of a vampire. I can certainly do it again.”

“Maybe I was holding back before because I wanted to impress you.”

“Or maybe you are just really slow!”

After several shots, they were slow dancing together.  
They had decided the contest was a draw. “Damon?” Elena whispered in his ear.

He didn’t lift his head from where he was resting it on her as they danced together. “Hmmm?” He asked with his eyes closed as they drifted to the music.

“I needed this time out for five minutes.” She smiled. “Just like I needed it then.”

He opened his eyes and looked deep into hers. “I know.”

“How is it you always know? Sometimes I’m not even aware of it myself.”

“I pay attention to you. I always have. It’s how I was able to be on time when you needed rescuing all those years.” He kissed her there on the dance floor but it was an affectionate, warm kiss rather than a passionate one.

She was silent as they kept dancing. After a few moments, Damon drug her off the floor and over to the corner booth that was reserved for him. She saw him wave the waiter who started toward them away, but still she didn’t speak. Finally, Damon blurted out, “Did I do something wrong? You seem sad, baby.” He stroked her cheek and held her hand.

“No Damon. Why would you assume you are at fault just because I’m quiet? If anything, I’m the problem. I was just thinking about what you said, about paying attention. And I was realizing that while you may pay attention, I don’t. How many times have I been oblivious to what you need?” She was staring into his eyes as she said this and she saw them widen in incredulity. 

“What are you talking about? How can you think that for a second? It’s because you paid enough attention to notice that I had any good qualities at all that I took the time to pay attention to you. You are the only one who sees the real me. Who sees that I try to do the best thing even though it doesn’t work out that way always. I love that you see the real me. That you understand me, the parts that aren’t so good as well as the parts that are. And you always have.”

She smiled a slow smile. “If that is true, if we both see each other clearly, then I bet we are thinking the same thing right now.”

He smirked at her. “Are you sure?”

She smirked right back. “Now I’m certain of it.” She pulled him to her and this time they made out very passionately, neither aware or caring that they were still in public.

Eventually, they mutually pulled apart. “Maybe we should go upstairs.” She suggested.

“Yes, we definitely should. And speaking of paying attention, I noticed you aren’t wearing any green.”

“Oh, I am.” She smiled at him over her shoulder. “You just have to search really hard to find it. In fact, you’ll probably have to do a strip search to be sure.”

His eyes widened. “And you say you don’t pay attention? You just made St. Patrick’s day a contender for my favorite holiday.” He grabbed her hand and led her upstairs. They had barely shut the door behind them before he was kissing her deeply again. “I love you.”

“I know. Just like you know I love you too. Please never stop helping me take a break to unwind when you know I need it.”

“I promise if you promise to take time to look for the good in my actions instead of always assuming the worst. I need one person in my life who does that and that’s always been you.”


	4. Easter

Damon comes home after a rough day at the bar and immediately knows Elena has bad news. Her face is practically shouting it. “Who died?” He asks as he flops down in a chair in their living room.

She sits down on the couch opposite him and her expression turns puzzled, like she can’t believe he can see the bad news pouring off her. “No one,” she tells him.

“Did you flunk medical school, or have a fight with Jeremy or...”

She laughs. “No, why would you ask those things? Maybe what I have to tell you isn’t that bad.”

“Your face says otherwise.” 

“I need you to babysit the kids of a friend from school,” she blurts out with no warning.

“No,” he says baldly and gets up to walk into the bedroom.

She follows. “Damon...”

“What possessed you to come up with this idea?” He pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it in the laundry hamper over his shoulder.

“I’ve been assigned a partner for a project. She’s a single mom and her regular babysitter is sick. It’s just one afternoon. Please Damon.” She pulls him close before he has time to say anything. “I will owe you big.”

He sighs, loudly. “Elena...” and pulls away. “I’m no good with kids. I think it’s best that I have no contact with children ever. You remember what happened when I was around Ric and Caroline’s kids?”

“That is hardly the same thing. You were a vampire who was being mind controlled. I hardly think you will be looking to sacrifice them to Cade any time soon.” She sighs too. “What about when we have kids of our own? That’s a possibility now that we are human you know.”

Damon sits down hard on the bed as he laughs out loud. He looks up when Elena doesn’t join in. “Why aren’t you laughing? You’re serious Elena? You think we should have kids?” There is no hint of a smile on his face now.

Damon can tell Elena is fighting back tears. “I wasn’t suggesting we get pregnant now. But someday...” she trails off as the tears start to flow.

He grabs her and pulls her into a hug, kissing the top of her head. “Shhh...please don’t cry. I just never thought of us... well, to be honest of me as a parent.”

“You’ll be a great dad when you are ready for kids. You are way better at taking care of people than you think.”

“If we wait until I’m ready, we will never have them. And I bet if we poll everyone we know, they will all agree I will make a terrible father.” He stands up and goes to the dresser for a tee shirt.

She comes up behind him and hugs him. “That’s because they don’t know you like I do. Plus, this should hardly be a surprise. You asked me about kids when you were trying to work up the courage to tell me about the cure.”

He turns around so he can look in her eyes. “That was hypothetical. And we can discuss this another day. Right now we have to figure out a way for me to get out of babysitting.” As he finishes speaking, there is a knock on the door.

She gives a smirk worthy of Damon himself. “Too late!” She goes to open the door and make the introductions. And somehow, against his will Damon finds himself alone with two children, a small little girl with pig tails who is not yet two and a boy of eight trying desperately to be grown up.

“I don’t need a babysitter. I’m not a baby!” The boy says defiantly with his arms crossed tightly in front of him.

“Good. Then take care of yourself because I don’t want to be a baby sitter. “ Damon wishes he had some bourbon, but he suspects Elena would frown if she found him drinking on the job. He is trying to figure out his next move when he feels something on his leg. The baby is pulling on his pants leg. He looks down. “Can I help you?”

“Hide ess peas.” She gives him puppy dog eyes.

“What?” Damon demands. As much as he hates to admit it, the puppy dog eyes are working and he would love to help her. He just doesn’t know how to comply. 

“Ess. Ess peas!” She tells him again, but this time she holds up a basket filled with plastic brightly colored eggs.

“Oh! You want me to hide eggs!” He accepts the basket.

“Duh!” The boys says. “Took you long enough.”

“Fine. You and your sister go wait in the living room.” He sighs loudly and repeatedly as he hides the eggs.  
“You can come in now.”

The boy finds the eggs in about a minute flat as the little girl cries because big brother found them all. “You stink at hiding eggs!”

“You stink period.” Damon retorts. 

“That’s not me. That’s her. You’ve probably never changed a diaper before.”

Of course Damon hasn’t, but he isn’t going to admit that to a child. “I can change her. Why don’t you hide the eggs for her while I do it.” Damon returns do the living room and smirks to himself as he hears the boy make grumbling noises that sound suspiciously like the ones Damon himself made when he hid the eggs. Damon stops smirking however when he sees what is inside the baby’s diaper. He shouts out but considers it a victory that the words that come out of his mouth are not four letter ones. After he is finished, he tells the little girl, “that is gross.” She just smiles and gives him a hug.

They go back in the room to find the eggs. Ten minutes later they have found all but one egg and the boy is smirking broader than Damon ever dreamed of smirking. The little girl is crying because the egg that is missing is the purple one and that is her favorite. “You’ll never find it.” The boy taunts.

“Listen here punk!” Damon grabs the boy and the egg falls out from where the boy had stuffed it in his shirt. “You cheated?” Damon sits down on the floor and laughs out loud. “Very smart, punk.”

“Thanks old geezer.” The boys responds. After that they form a truce. In fact, for the next hour and a half, they play loudly and exuberantly. And even though he and the boy insult each other repeatedly, Damon realizes they are both having fun. Damon is sorry to see them go. He ruffles the boys hair and says, “bye punk.”

The boy replies, “later geezer,” as he waves and the little girl grabs his leg and hugs him. “Bye ess man!”

As soon as the door closes, Elena turns to him. “I am so sorry. I’ll never put you on the spot like that again. Judging by the noise, you must have had a horrific time.”

Damon smirks. “It wasn’t so bad. In fact, we could even discuss having one of our own. But later. Years from now. Mostly because it may take me that long to recover!” He sighs loudly as he flops on the couch. He can feel Elena staring at him as he turns on the TV. Let her stare. Mystery is good for a relationship. He doesn’t want her thinking she has him all figured out.


End file.
